Cheltenham man sent to state prison for fatally stabbing ex-wife during domestic-related incident

NORRISTOWN – Calling it “a tragedy of epic proportions,” a judge sent a Cheltenham man to state prison for stabbing his ex-wife to death during an argument inside the township apartment they shared while their two young sons were in a nearby room.

Clive S. Thompson, 29, of North John Russell Circle, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 10-to-20 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of third-degree murder in connection with a domestic-related incident that occurred between June 27 and 28, 2011, at the Lynnewood Gardens apartment complex.

“Clearly, this is a tragedy of epic proportions,” said Judge Gary S. Silow, referring to the “ripple effect” of the violence. “The children no longer have a mother and they’re going to lose their father for a period of time. It’s just not right. You’ve destroyed many lives.”

Thompson, who had no prior criminal record, begged the judge for mercy.

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“Words can’t explain how I feel. The only thing I can honestly say is I’m sorry,” said Thompson, at times looking at the victim’s relatives who were in court. “This situation does not make me a bad person. This is not the type of person I am.”

With the charges, prosecutors alleged Thompson fatally stabbed 26-year-old Olivia Thompson once in the abdomen with a large butcher knife around 11:45 p.m. June 27 and turned himself in to Cheltenham police at 10:22 a.m. June 28. Two children were also inside the residence, in another room, at the time of the fatal stabbing, according to court papers.

The fatal stabbing occurred several months after the couple had divorced. However, they still lived together to care for the couple’s children, investigators said.

Assistant District Attorney Jesse King argued for the maximum possible sentence of 20-to-40 years in prison. Third-degree murder is a killing committed with malice.

“He stabbed a defenseless woman with a kitchen knife. There was a 9 year old and a 4 year old in the apartment when this took place. They heard it happen. They knew it happened immediately afterward. They dealt with the aftermath,” said King, who was assisted by prosecutor Heather Levandoski. “This is something that is going to affect them every day for the rest of their lives. That is the ultimate tragedy here.”

Referring to Thompson’s lack of a prior criminal record, defense lawyer George Griffith Jr., who was assisted by defense lawyer Damian Brewster, argued for a minimum sentence of about six years in prison for Thompson.

“I think it was an isolated incident of his emotions just getting the better of him,” Griffith said about the tragedy. “He lost control and had a knife in his hands.”

Thompson, a native of Jamaica who was a resident alien of the U.S. at the time of the killing, could face deportation by U.S. Immigration officials once he completes his prison stint, according to those close to the case.

According to a criminal complaint, a neighbor reported hearing a woman “screaming at the top of her lungs” as if hurt or scared. She had told someone to “get out,” authorities reported.

After the stabbing, Thompson called a friend and told him he had stabbed the victim and asked the friend to “come quick” to the apartment. When the acquaintance arrived at the residence, he saw the woman in bed bleeding from a wound in the abdomen.

Investigators found a butcher knife with an 8-inch blade under the bed. The bedroom door frame was “splintered” indicating it was forced open prior to the attack, according to authorities.

The friend told detectives the couple sometimes argued, and the victim wanted Thompson to move out of the apartment. A woman who knew the couple said she believed they had divorced in March 2011.